A Word or Two
I’ve recently received reviews for my autobiography, A Life In The Sunshine. Two were outstanding, as was the feedback from Dr. Tim Goler, Paul Hill Jr., Anita Bunkley, and Shirley Neal. However, I also received two reviews that strongly disliked the book.
I take reviews seriously when written in a professional, dispassionate, and constructive manner — the kind you’d expect from a seasoned book reviewer. But when a review is vague or nonsensical, I can’t help but wonder: Is the negativity because I once beat up a Klansman in the Army? Or because I cursed out a chaplain who scolded me for speaking out against racial inequity?
After some reflection, I had to check myself. Although both of the positive reviews came from white reviewers, I reminded myself that I didn’t write this book with white readers in mind . So what, really, should I have expected from some?
So far, I haven’t received any feedback from Black reviewers. I’ll be very interested in their perspectives.
The truth is, A Life In The Sunshine isn’t for everyone. I wrote it in the hope that my words would resonate with young Black men and women. If my story encourages even a few of them, then I’ve accomplished my goal.
Here’s some of the feedback so far:
Prewitt entertains and educates in this dynamic autobiography set against a backdrop of US history. His authentic thoughts and personality shine through his narrative. The author’s prose is down-to-earth and comes across as if one is sitting down for a chat over drinks with a trusted friend. Those interested in a Black coming-of-age experience in mid-twentieth-century Cleveland will find much to savor in this volume.
Kate Robinson, US Book Review
Libraries seeking autobiographies from African American authors who review their encounters with prejudice, their mindsets for perseverance and overcoming limitations, will find A Life in the Sunshine uplifting, thought-provoking, and absorbing. As a lesson plan in survival and values-building, A Life in the Sunshine shines.
Diane Donovan, Senior Editor, Midwest Book Review
A Life in the Sunshine is more than just one man’s personal journey. Through the author’s candid and relatable tell-it-like-it-is short stories, anecdotes, triumphs, tragedies, life-lessons, family legacy, and advice that cover the gamut from business strategies to surviving urban streets, it’s easy to walk away inspired with a greater zest for living life to its fullest!
Shirley Neal, TV/Film producer, journalist, author of “AfroCentric Style: A Celebration of Blackness & Identity in Pop Culture”
J. Everett Prewitt’s A Life In The Sunshine is more than an autobiography, it’s a living archive of legacy, grit, and grace. This book reads like a conversation with an elder whose stories remind you who you are and where you come from. It’s a celebration of ordinary excellence, the kind that never makes headlines but shapes generations. I’m proud to know the man behind these pages, and prouder still to recommend his work to anyone who values memory, dignity, and the slow-burning light of truth.
Dr. Timothy D. Goler, Social Psychologist
The incidents, friendships, challenges, and victories described in the author’s early years provide the reader with the foundational moments that eventually shape the mature man into one who was not afraid of a fight and was a man of his word. Job well done.
Anita Bunkley, Author/Editor